I think textbooks might be like software. You don't build from scratch because you are throwing out the hard won debugging that has gone into it. Here is Joel Spolsky on this topic:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000069.html
The problem is that a lot of the 'bugs' are artifacts of the political sensitivities of various target market. The textbook business is only a reflection of the nauseating educational system and the disservice it does to our children.
Comments
I think textbooks might be like software. You don't build from scratch because you are throwing out the hard won debugging that has gone into it. Here is Joel Spolsky on this topic: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000069.html
The problem is that a lot of the 'bugs' are artifacts of the political sensitivities of various target market. The textbook business is only a reflection of the nauseating educational system and the disservice it does to our children.